Department of Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman said Friday that the five companies offering plans through the state’s exchange or directly to consumers were prepared to leave the market for 2017. He said big rate increases were the tradeoff to convince all but one company to remain for now.

Rate increases finalized this week range from a 50 percent average hike for HealthPartners plans to a 67 percent jump on average on UCare.

But Rothman called it a temporary fix and called on lawmakers to make reforms before the market collapses.

His words will embolden Republicans who have called President Barack Obama’s health care law a disaster in Minnesota.

For all of you who enthusiastically supported the ACA (Obamacare), for all of you who voted for Obama that second time, for all of you who quickly squashed those uncomfortable feelings at seeing a straight party vote and instead accused everyone against the ACA as being racist, the Lower Class and Lower Middle Class thanks you. Thanks to you, they’re experiencing more financial pain, anxiety and fear than they ever could have without your help. Thanks to your efforts, their healthcare prices have risen exponentially as the system that anyone fluent in 4th grade math knew would collapse, collapses.